In a busy column this week, gardening writer JACKIE WARBURTON touches on slippery moss, camellias, pecans and seed potatoes. 

MOSS can be a hazard in the garden and should be scraped away from paths to prevent the area becoming slippery. 

Moss on paving grows where there is moisture and the sun has not dried the area and so it grows on itself. 

There are moss-remover products, but if you want a home remedy use equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle, spray the paving area, let it sit for around 20 minutes and wash off. 

If there is moss in the lawn, aerate the area with a garden fork to allow better drainage or dig moss out gently and place on some rocks or somewhere you want it to grow. Keep it moist and it should stick and grow if the conditions are right. 

CAMELLIAS will still be coming into flower and now the japonica camellias will be joining them. They are the larger leaf, larger flowers and grow up to five metres. Japonica camellias can cope with more shade, whereas sasanqua camellias have a smaller leaf and like full sun and flower in autumn. 

Camellias like shelter from the hot winds and prefer morning sun and dappled shade in the afternoon. The lighter the flower, the better it copes with the shade. White-flowering camellias should be planted with as much protection from the frost. 

FRUIT trees can still have a treatment of copper for peach leaf curl and are nearly ready to show early signs of spring. 

Almond trees grow well in Canberra and I have had success with Prunus amygdalus, which is a dwarf, self-pollinating variety. Almonds are early flowering in our region and may need a little protection from frost. 

Apart from initial training of a small tree they seldom need pruning. If there’s more space in the garden, a pecan tree can be grown in our region as well, but needs space to grow. 

Pecans (Carya illinoinensis) flower late spring when last frosts have passed, but the tree itself survives frost quite well and needs deep soil for its tap root to access good ground water. It will produce nuts better with another tree close by, but pecan “Cherokee” can be self-pollinating if space is limited in the garden. 

SEED potatoes are available in the nurseries but wait at least four to six weeks until planting as the soil starts to warm and big frosts have passed. 

They like to be planted in full sun. Potatoes are of the solanaceae family, so don’t plant them where you have had tomatoes, eggplants or capsicums last season. 

However, they can be planted where the garlic, onions or vegetables of the allium family have been planted to prevent diseases in the soil and maximise crop rotation. 

A PERFECT plant for a cottage garden or a shady spot on the southern side of the house, Pieris japonica is in flower now. 

Also known as lily of the valley, they are a slow-growing evergreen (to two metres) and suited to a Japanese and Chinese-style garden and available with a variegated leaf. Keep the soil acidic, moist and well drained.

IF there are any perennials in the garden such as winter Iris, daylilies, native grasses or any clumping perennials, they can be divided now before spring growth starts. Use a fork to dig clumps out and divide with a sharp spade or broken into smaller pieces and replanted. 

jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au